Thursday, September 01, 2011

Matsuzakaya department stores can be found in Ueno and Ginza in Tokyo, Sakae in Nagoya and also in Toyota, Shizuoka and Takatsuki.

Established in 1611 as a kimono store by Yudo Ito, the company became known for the quality of its fabrics. In 1789 the successors of Ito bought a shop in Ueno called Matsuzakaya and this was adopted as the new company name.

Matsuzakaya had its HQ in Nagoya before being bought out by Daimaru following a period of decline in sales and the closing of the Osaka branch.

The stores stock a wide range of men's and women's fashion and contain a number of restaurants. The Matsuzakaya store pictured above in Nagoya also has an Art Museum which holds periodic exhibitions.